The Beach Plum Pursuit Plan
by Owen Wadlington
Wen is a student at the University of New England (UNE) and an intern with GWRLT this semester.
Tucked under a fallen tree, hidden beneath tall grass off the beaten trail, or glinting among a colony of fungi, glass sculpture treasures are waiting for you to find them this October as part of Great Work Regional Land Trust’s (GWRLT) first Beach Plum Pursuit. The glass sculpture treasure hunt is slated to be a three-day long event October 24th through the 26th, and is being presented by GWRLT, the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce, and On the Right Path Productions as part of the 22nd annual OgunquitFest.
The Beach Plum Pursuit is more than just a treasure hunt, it’s a passion project, and like any passion project, there’s a story behind its conception. This particular story begins in 2011 with an artist named Eben Horton.
Horton began making blown glass creations as a hobbyist when he was just sixteen years old, though what began as a hobby would eventually become something much bigger (The Glass Station Studio, 2024). Horton began hiding his glass creations along walking paths and trails around his home in Rhode Island, then in 2011 Horton worked with his town council to start the first annual Glass Float hunt. It wasn’t long before Horton’s big idea turned into a phenomenon.
The Glass Dewberry Scavenger Hunt, Pinecone Pathways, Lincoln City Glass Float Hunt, and the list goes on. In no time at all, glass sculpture treasure hunts like the one that Horton began in 2011 were appearing across the country.
Treasure hunts like these drew in all manner of people looking for hikes, fun, a little bit of friendly competition, and the opportunity to get their hands on one of the coveted glass treasures. Among these would-be treasure hunters was Leanne Cusimano.
Cusimano is a three-time glass sculpture hunt prizewinner. She started by finding her first during the Pinecone Pathways event, then proceeded to hunt down a dewberry sculpt in the Glass Dewberry Scavenger Hunt. Once she’d found one of those as well, she went back to where it all began and found one of Horton’s Glass Floats earlier this year (Douglass, 2025). On Block Island, where the Glass Float Project is hosted, Cusimano extraordinarily had success finding one of the Glass Floats in a day and a half where other seekers had been searching for years.
Having participated in three of these sculpture hunts herself, Cusimano was enthralled by the sense of community that she had discovered during her adventures. She decided that she wanted to bring that sense of community to Ogunquit, and so the Beach Plum Pursuit was conceived. Cusimano approached GWRLT, said, “Hey! I’ve got a great idea!”, and the rest is history.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Cusimano and talk about her experience as a sculp hunt enthusiast. I asked her what it is like going from a participator to an event organizer. She said that the idea behind treasure hunts like these are all about getting outdoors, exploring somewhere that you’ve never been before, and the lighthearted friendly competition of hopefully getting to find a treasure that makes a lifelong memory. Cusimano said in our interview that she wanted to bring that community-driven energy of fun and adventure to Ogunquit, and so the GWRLT team began working with her to make the event a reality.
“Even as a participator, I think I was always trying to get into the heads of the hiders. You have to go in feeling like you’re going to find one of the hand-blown glass sculptures. And even if you don’t find one, you still get to have a great day on the trails, so still come out feeling a great sense of accomplishment no matter what.” Cusimano told me when asked about the process of event organization.
“You won’t need to move things too much when you’re looking. The plums, because they’re purple, blend in well if they’re hidden in the rocks or the roots.” was the hint that Cusimano thought best to share when I asked for advice for any would-be sculpture seekers, so keep your eyes out for Beach Plums hidden in plain sight!
The Beach Plum pursuit is just a little over three short weeks away. You can get out onto the trails and experience the beauty of coastal Maine and try and find a Beach Plum of your own at Beach Plum Farm, Payeur Preserve, and the Old Boston Preserve. 39 plums will be hidden across three days, each one numbered and sponsored by a local business or organization that makes events like these possible. Each elusive beach plum treasure will have a tag with a QR on the back which you will scan to register that your treasure has been found, and will also register you for a grand prize drawing for a chance to win a gift basket valued at over $300! No beach plums will ever be found more than two feet from the trail.
If you’d like to get involved or learn more about the Beach Plum Pursuit, you can visit the Great Works Regional Land Trust website and navigate to the events calendar page underneath the events tab, or you can follow the link below. We hope to see you there, and wish you the best of luck in your hunt!
https://gwrlt.org/event/bpp25/
References
Douglass, L. (2025, July 15). Treasure hunting trifecta: Finding art, fitness and friendship on the trail. The Pilot Newspaper. https://www.thepilot.com/news/features/treasure-hunting-trifecta-finding-art-fitness-and-friendship-on-the-trail/article_c498da47-31e3-4b92-8767-776514a83b2d.html
Events for October 2025. The Glass Float Project. Block Island Ferry. (2024, March 13).
https://www.blockislandferry.com/event/the-glass-float-project/